Voters from Warren to Duxbury will gather next week to adopt town budgets, vote on a school budget, elect town officials and re-connect after a long, cold winter. Voting on budgets and Australian ballot items takes place from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. throughout The Valley.
On March 3, voters in Warren, Waitsfield, Fayston, Moretown and Duxbury will gather in person and via drive-thru to attend to their annual business. Voters in the Harwood Unified Union School District will be voting, by Australian ballot on a $51,884,847 budget and allocating a $500,000 fund balance to the district’s maintenance reserve fund.
The HUUSD annual meeting takes place March 2 at the Harwood Union auditorium at 6 p.m. That is the only time those two proposals can be further discussed. Here is how to watch that meeting by Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/386460007
To view the live broadcast, use this link: tinyurl.com/huwebapp-youtube-live.
Voters in the school district will also be asked to pass a $ 5,472,467 budget for the Central Vermont Career Center.
Voters in Warren and Waitsfield will be asked to approve $15,150 per town to help fund an implementation path coordinator for the Mad River Path’s Active Transportation corridor. The path association will also contribute $15,150 to fund that part-time position.
Voters in Warren, Waitsfield and Fayston will also be asked to pass the Mad River Valley Planning District budget of $287,000. That is split between those three towns and Sugarbush.
Voters in Warren will gather at Warren Elementary School at 5 p.m. for Town Meeting. After Town Meeting they will head to the Warren School cafeteria for a potluck. Warren voters will be asked to approve a budget of $5,411,053 and approve $30,000 to the Conservation Reserve Fund and making the Town Hall the permanent home of the town library.
Waitsfield voters are meeting at 9 a.m. at Waitsfield Elementary School. This year Town Meeting will feature coffee, tea, and pastries. Waitsfield voters are the only Valley voters who will be asked to pass a Local Option Tax this year. As proposed it will add a 1% tax to rooms, meals, alcohol, and retail and online sales. It will generate about $600,000. The town is proposing that LOT funds be allocated as follows:
- 35% to the Bridge & Culvert Reserve Fund.
- 20% to the Paving Reserve Fund.
- 15% to the All Hazards Recovery Reserve Fund.
- 15% to the Waitsfield-Fayston Fire Department Building Reserve Fund.
- 15% to the Road Department Facilities Reserve Fund.
Voters will be asked to approve a municipal budget of $2,874,507.
In Fayston, voters will gather at 9:30 a.m. at Fayston Elementary School where they will elect town officers from the floor, including a town clerk. Town clerk Madison Vasseur’s term expires, as does town treasurer Sarah Stavraky’s term. Select board member Mike Jordan’s three-year term expires as well. Fayston voters will be asked to pay a budget of $2,122,025. Following Town Meeting Fayston, voters will share a potluck at the school.
In Moretown, voters will gather at Moretown Elementary School at 6 p.m. for Town Meeting. In addition to voting for town officers by Australian ballot, Moretown voters will be voting by Australian ballot on a $1,878,380 town budget as well as $20,000 in contributions to maintenance funds. Other ballot items include authorizing up to $225,000 for a new town loader and up to $125,000 for a town truck and another $18,000 for a blower for the town grader. Additionally, voters will be asked to approve $10,000 for two new sets of turnout gear for the fire department.
Following Town Meeting, voters will enjoy a potluck in the school cafeteria.
Duxbury voters are continuing the tradition of drive-thru voting at the town offices for Town Meeting this year. This practice started during the pandemic and has proven effective and increased voter turnout. Duxbury voters are electing town officials andwill be asked to pass a budget of $1,183,542.
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